The Proposal
by PiaculumDeFatum
Summary: All he wanted to do was propose to her. Of course, everyone else had other ideas. JAM set after season 3. Oneshot


**_A/N:_**_ Hi everyone! This is my first _Office_ fic, and I'm really excited! This is a JAM fic (of course!). It's pretty fluffy, and I hope you like it. Self-edited, so all mistakes are mine and mine alone. Disclaimer: I don't own _The Office_ or any of its characters, plots, locations, etc. This fic contains mild swearing (nothing you won't hear on TV, kids!), and some "mature" jokes (again, nothing you won't hear on TV). Please read and review! And enjoy!_

The Proposal  


**Jim to camera:**

"So. I guess this is it. THE day, if you know what I mean." Jim's smile was wider than most had ever seen, and he kept jiggling his foot. He looked around the conference room as if checking for someone listening in. "Today is the day that I am going to propose to Pam."

His smile faded slightly. "Um, we've been dating for three months, which I know is a little short, I guess, but we've known each other for several years, so."

Pausing, a small grin flitted over his face, and he half-shrugged. "To answer your question, yes, I am terrified about what she'll say. I am a little worried that she's going to think it's a joke. It's not, by the way."

"Anyway, I asked Dwight to help me out with this today, and though it probably shouldn't, part of this actually kind of rides on his help."

0o0o0o0o

Dwight ran past the conference room window, heading towards the exit. Jim stepped out of the conference room and called, "Hey, man, where exactly are you going?"

Turning to face him, Dwight's face was deadly serious. "There was a mugging at my farm. My elderly neighbor, Mrs. Turnbuttle, called me for help. It is my civic duty to catch this perpetrator."

"Um, that's nice, Dwight, but I asked for you help today," Jim reminded him. "That means you have a duty here. To me."

Dwight raised one eyebrow. "False. Evil never rests, Jim. Not even for special events. The law cannot rest either." He turned to leave, then paused and turned back. "May the Force be with you."

**Dwight to camera:**

"Do I feel bad about not staying to help Jim? Of course not. My civic duty is more important than any of my coworkers, especially Jim Halpert."

**Jim to camera:**

"I guess Dwight's not helping me today. And yeah, I'm kinda freaking out. His role was crucial…oh, wait, Pam's calling me…"

Jim strolled casually over to the reception desk, taking his time. He leaned on it, helping himself to a jellybean. "You wanted something, Beesly?" he asked, smiling slowly at her.

She smirked at him. "I just did you a major favor," she whispered, eyes sparkling. "You totally owe me, Halpert.

"What'd you do?" asked Jim in a hushed voice, a smile spreading across his face.

"I just got rid of Dwight for the whole day, just for you." Her satisfied smirk showed her self-pride. "Seriously, listen to this. I helped my aunt move over the weekend, so she owed me. Anyway, I had her pretend that she was Dwight's neighbor, and that there was a mugging at their farm. And now he's gone."

Jim felt the smile slide off his face. "Oh."

Pam's smile started to fade as well. "Oh? Is that all you can say? At the very least you should be buying me a candy bar for my hard work."

After a moment, Jim forced a smile on his face. "Oh, yeah. Sure. That's really funny, by the way. Good joke."

**Pam to camera:**

"Jim has been acting really weird lately. How so? Oh, well, like this thing with Dwight. I got Dwight out of the office for the whole day, and he doesn't even find it funny." She paused, then began to grin. "I even came up with the name 'Turnbuttle'."

**Jim to camera:**

"It had to be Pam, didn't it? She had to be the one to get Dwight out of the building on the one day I actually needed him. The one day." He broke off, an unwilling smile tugging at his lips. "And I still can't be mad at her. Damn."

**Pam to camera:**

"Do I think Jim and I are going to get married? What kind of a question is that?" She laughed nervously. "I mean, I think it's a little soon to be considering that. We've only been dating for three months." Pausing, she added thoughtfully, "But we have known each other for a long time, and…" She shook her head. "I just think that now would be too soon. Why? What do you know?"

0o0o0o0o

Jim walked over to Kevin's desk, trying not to look as desperate as he felt. "Hey, Kevin."

Kevin looked up, his eyes vague. "Jim. What do you need?"

Sitting down on the edge of Kevin's desk, Jim said casually, "Hey, can I ask you to do a favor for me?"

Still looking confused, Kevin nodded once. "Ok."

"Ok, so I want to…propose. To Pam. Today. And I need your help." Jim's voice couldn't hide the smile that was growing on his face.

A look of astonishment crossed Kevin's face. "You and Pam are dating?"

Jim blinked at him once before tossing the camera a startled look. "Um, yes. We have been. For a while. And I was under the impression that, you know, just about everyone knew."

"Oh," said Kevin, his slow brain still digesting the news. "You're banging the receptionist?"

"Um, no, I'm not banging the receptionist," started Jim, then he broke off. "Look, that's not the point. Did you really not know that Pam and I were together?"

The gears were turning in Kevin's head, however slowly, and he explained, "I thought you were still dating Karen."

Jim's face was incredulous as he said slowly, "Uh, no, we broke up awhile ago. Like, when she stayed in New York and I came back here."

"Oh," said Kevin, blinking once. "But she was hotter than Pam. Even though Pam has bigger boobs."

Still looking at Kevin as if he had grown another head, Jim said quickly, "You know what, Kevin, maybe you're not the right guy for the job after all. Sorry to, uh, bother you."

**Jim to camera:**

"I…don't even know what to say," said Jim, shrugging exaggeratedly. "I mean…" He paused. "Nope, I still don't have any words for it."

0o0o0o0o

Jim headed over to Toby's desk. "Hey, Toby. How are you today?"

Looking up, Toby sighed. "For the last time, Jim, I cannot give you the box of Dwight's complaints against you. It goes against company policy."

"No, that's not what I wanted. For once." Jim looked over his shoulder quickly. "I need your help today. See, I want to propose to Pam today, and I need someone—"

Toby shook his head. "Look, Jim, I would love to help you. Really. But it's kind of against company policy to engage in inter-office romance. Any of us. Including me."

"Wow, you're in an inter-office romance, too?" Jim cocked his head. "You may not want to do that. It must reflect poorly on your HR status."

Frowning, Toby said stiffly, "Very funny. Seriously, though, Jim, I can't get involved." Pausing, he added, "I hope you understand."

**Toby to camera:**

"I don't feel bad about not helping Jim. It's not part of my job. And I just do my job and go home." He paused. "Besides, after my divorce…I just don't like…couples. Like that."

**Jim to camera:**

"I am royally screwed. There is no one who wants to help me. Oscar refuses to help because he has sworn off anything to do with male-on-female relationships." Jim frowned deeply. "I really don't think that being gay means you couldn't help me out, but hey, I wouldn't know. Um, I didn't even ask Creed, because to be honest, Creed kinda scares the shit out of me. Stanley just flat-out refused to help."

Pausing for a moment, he said drearily, "I was tempted to ask Kelly, but then I realized that Pam would know about it in three seconds flat. So I'm left with Andy and Michael. Let's be honest…I'd rather do pretty much anything than ask Andy for help. That…pretty much just leaves me Michael. Which is why I'm screwed."

He sighed deeply, then looked up at the camera. "All I wanted was someone to videotape the proposal."

0o0o0o0o

Walking over to Michael's office was the hardest thing Jim ever had to do. He had his hands in his pockets and he looked as if he were a dead man walking. He knocked on the door and leaned against the frame. "Hey, Michael, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Jimbo!" said Michael cheerfully, swiveling around in his rolly chair. "I would do anything I could to help my favorite number two. The one who didn't paint my office."

Jim went into the office and closed the door behind him. "Listen, I really need your help with something today. See, I want to propose to Pam."

Michael's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You and Pam? That's so cute. And you're gonna propose? Gosh…that makes me feel like I'm lagging behind in my relationship with Jan…if you know what mean." Leaning in, he whispered conspiratorially, "Are you guys living together? Jan and I are. How many times a day are you…you know…doing the _horizontal mambo_?"

"Whoa!" said Jim, holding up his hands and laughing nervously. "Um, let's not talk about that, ok?"

Winking, Michael said, "Oh, I understand…the missus doesn't like talking about it, huh? I understand that. I bet she's a freak in bed, though, right? It's always the quiet ones…"

"Actually," said Jim loudly, desperately trying to avoid that subject, "what I really wanted to ask was if you would videotape me when I propose to Pam. I just…I want to have a memory of this day, you know?"

"Jim," said Michael seriously, placing a hand on his heart, "it would be my honor to perform this simple task for you. I am sincerely flattered that you would come to me with this request."

**Michael to camera:**

"I just…I love my job, you know? Because people know that they can just come to me with their problems, and I can solve them all." He grinned excitedly. "Jim knows that he can trust me to do this, and he came to me first, and I am honored. Seriously."

**Jim to camera:**

"It's probably a really good thing that I didn't tell Michael I asked practically everyone in the office to videotape us before I asked Michael."

**Michael to camera:**

"Oo. I sense a slight…uh, SNAFU, shall we say, with my volunteering to videotape Jim's proposal. I…don't actually know how to run the camcorder. I know, that's funny, right? But, see, I only use it for my apology videos, and Pam videotapes all of those…"

He paused, realization lighting up his face. "That's it! I'll ask Pam to videotape it! Boy, won't she be so surprised when she finds out what she's videotaping!"

0o0o0o0o

Michael headed over to reception, humming cheerfully. "Pam. Pamela. Pam-a-lama-ding-dong!" he said, beaming at her. "You and Slim Jim, huh? I hope that's going well. Listen, I need your help."

Barely pausing to look up from her work, Pam said, "Michael, I am not smelling your breath. Or listening to a voicemail from Jan."

Smiling, Michael said, "It's nothing like that, Pam. I told _someone_ that I would videotape _something_ for them, but then I realized something. Every time I want to videotape something, um, well, you do it for me. All my apology videos…so anyway, I need you to videotape this for me. Since I can't."

With an exaggerated sigh, Pam shot a "Please Help Me" look over to Jim's desk, hoping he would come rescue her. "I don't know, Michael. What do you want me to tape?"

"Well, see, I think that there's going to be a proposal…today…in the office. And I need you to tape it. Who knows," Michael added, winking. "Maybe it'll be you and Jim. What would you say if Jimbo proposed to you, huh?"

Pam stared at Michael in shock, her head spinning. "What? Um, no—"

"No what?" asked Jim, who had overheard. His heart was pounding louder and harder than ever. "No you won't marry me, or…what?"

Pam seemed lost for words for a second as she stared at Jim, then she said softly. "Jim, I really think we should talk about this later, in private."

"What?" he asked, a hard edge to his voice. "Why would we need to talk in private about this? What do you have to say that you don't want anyone else to hear?"

"Jim—" she started, but he just shook his head.

"No. No, there's no need to talk about it further. I get it. You don't want to marry me. I understand completely. I'm just sorry…"

He trailed off, and a bitter half-smile touched his face even as his eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry I misinterpreted our relationship."

Then he walked away, head bowed, hands in his pockets. Silence filled the office as Pam turned to the camera, shock and bewilderment written all over her features.

0o0o0o0o

Jim sat on the roof of his car, knees pulled up to his chest, a lit cigarette dangling from his hand. Michael walked over, hands in his pockets. "Jim," he said gravely, "I'm really sorry. This is my fault, isn't it?"

Turning away so Michael wouldn't see his tears, Jim shook his head slightly. "It's not your fault." He stared off into space. "It would've come out eventually, anyway."

Michael nodded, then said, "I didn't know you smoked. You know, Jim, smoking is very bad for you. Maybe Pam doesn't want to marry you because you smoke."

Jim looked at the cigarette in his hand. "I know it's bad. And I don't. Today just seemed like one of those days that called for a smoke."

Nodding, Michael tried to climb onto the hood of Jim's car to join him, but he slid down again. He tried once more, without success, then stood up, trying to look suave. "I think I'm just gonna stay down here," he reported.

Jim hadn't even noticed. He was still looking out at the sky, a single tear shining on his cheek. "I just…I love Pam so much. Seriously. I know you joke about, you know, 'you complete me' and all, but she really does complete me. I can't imagine my life without her." Pausing, he amended, "Actually, I can, because I had to live it for a little bit, and it sucks. She is everything that is good in my world, and without her, I don't know how I would live."

"Yeah," said Michael sympathetically. "It was kind of like what happened with me and Jan—"

"And I know it was me that screwed it up," continued Jim, cutting Michael off. "If I hadn't of done this stupid proposal thing. Our life was fine, and I don't know why I thought we should get married. It's just…I love her. I can't picture the rest of my life without her in it. And I wanted to tell the rest of the world that. I…I just thought she felt the same."

Once again, Michael's sympathetic nod was followed by an attempted story. "Man, do I know how that feels. When I was in preschool—"

This time, it was Pam that cut him off. She stood a little bit away from Jim's car, but it was obvious from her expression that she had been listening for a while. "Why didn't you just say that, Jim? Why didn't you tell me that?"

Jim turned to face her, clearly surprised. "Because…because you said no."

"I wasn't talking to you, in regards to that at all. I was saying no to Michael's comment about you proposing. I had no idea you wanted to actually propose." She paused, then looked at Jim squarely. "I would never say no if you proposed to me."

Jim's grin was instant and absolute. "Really? You mean it?"

Pam grinned as well, wiping tears from her eyes. "Of course I mean it. I love you."

Practically leaping off his car, Jim crossed the space between them in three strides and pulled her into a firm deep kiss.

Michael watched for a few moments, then cleared his throat loudly. "Um, sorry if I'm disturbing you. It's just…well, I think I'm gonna leave now…I'm sensing a kind of third-wheel vibe. Yeah…"

**Michael to camera:**

"I'd like to think that I single-handedly saved Jim and Pam's relationship. Which makes me, you know, a sort of relationship-saver." Pausing, he struck what he clearly considered a noble pose. "I guess you could say I'm a superhero."

0o0o0o0o

The couple continued kissing, not even noticing Michael's absence. Then Pam pulled away. "You know, you never officially proposed."

"You're right," said Jim, realization dawning on his face. "I guess we better fix that, then." He grabbed Pam's hand and tugged her towards the building. "Come on. It's in the refrigerator."

"What is?" asked Pam, laughing, as she followed him.

"The ring."

When they reached the breakroom, Jim let go of Pam's hand and opened the refrigerator. Sure enough, there was a ring box. "Jim, why is the ring in the fridge?"

Jim didn't answer. He grabbed the box, closed the refrigerator and got down on one knee, all in one fluid motion. "Pam…I love you," he said, looking up at her, his eyes full of his love. "I don't need to say anything else; you know it all. So Pam Beesly, will you marry me?"

With that, he opened the ring box, and Pam began to laugh and cry at the same time. There in the box was the ring, yes, but Jim had put it in Jell-o.

"Yes," said Pam, still laughing, pulling Jim up and kissing him. "Yes, yes, yes!"

**Pam to camera:**

"He put my ring in Jell-o." Her smile was brilliant as she looked down at the diamond ring on her finger. "He put my ring in Jell-o, and that is why I am marrying him."

**Jim to Camera:**

He just smiled, a big grin that stretched across his entire face and said more than any words could. Then he asked suddenly, "Hey, can I have a copy of this tape when you're done?"

_**FIN**_


End file.
